Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas, #1)

by Zoraida Córdova

The first book in the Latinx-infused Queer fantasy series from highly acclaimed author Zoraida Córdova that follows three sisters—and teen witches—as they develop their powers and battle magic through epic questing in the realms beyond.
Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. But she's hated magic ever since it made her father disappear into thin air. So while most girls celebrate their Quinceañera, Alex prepares for her Deathday—the most important day in a bruja's life and her only opportunity to rid herself of magic.
But the curse she performs during the ceremony backfires, and her family vanishes, forcing Alex to absorb all of the magic from her family line. Left alone, Alex seeks help from Nova, a brujo with ambitions of his own.
To get her family back they must travel to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland. And while she's there, what she discovers about herself, her powers, and her family, will change everything…
Brooklyn Brujas Series:
Labyrinth Lost (Book 1): Alex's story—set in the mythical fantasy world of Los Lagos Bruja Born (Book 2): Lula's story—urban fantasy set on the streets of Brooklyn Wayward Witch (Book 3): Rose's story—set in the magical lost realm of AdasPerfect for fans of:
Teen LGBTQ books Latin American fiction Witch books Myths & legends Dark fantasy questsPraise for Labryinth Lost:
An NPR Best Young Adult Book of 2016
Tor.com's Best YA SFF of 2016
A Bustle Best Book of 2016 Selection
A Paste Magazine Best Books of 2016
"[Labyrinth Lost] kicked off…an incredible rise of non-hetero hexing."—Dahlia Adler, Tor.com
"A richly Latin American, giddily exciting novel."—New York Times Book Review
"A brilliant brown-girl-in-Brooklyn update on Alice in Wonderland and Dante's Inferno. Very creepy, very magical, very necessary."—Janiel Jose Older, New York Times bestselling author of Shadowshaper

• ISBN10: 1492623164
• ISBN13: 9781492623168
• Publish Date: 1 August 2017 (first published 6 September 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[empressbrooke]

This book ended up not being for me, but I'm still rating it a solid "I liked it" three stars because I think it would be perfect for a young teen. If someone asked for a recommendation for a young person in their life, this would be on the short list that I would hand over. The pacing was really good, and there was a twist I wasn't expecting that redeemed some of the issues I had with the plot up to that point.

[tweetybugshouse]

This is the story of a girl who due to her Some traumatic childhood situations has decided she hates who she is and does not want any part of her family Bruja magic. At her death day party, she makes a decision to alter that path which her family is thrusting her down. She wishes to lose her powers and not become a Bruja witch. Instead of getting what she wants her whole family disappears and she off on a journey to another world to find them. The first part of the book actually really set the tone of the story for me cause that where you get all the info dumping. Usually, that can make a story really sink and fast but if your not familiar with the background of Bruja, death day, and Mexican religion you need some groundwork to be laid. I think the author did a great job of this and I was able to follow along with the story.
The second half of the book is the real meat of our story as that when Alex really starts to learn about what she has given up, our romance comes which thankfully was not given away in the blurb, and the world building between Brooklyn and Los Lagos really make the story unique.

I love the main lesson of this story is that we all want to be ordinary especially in our teen years. But what is ordinary, instead this story teaches us that we are all unique and as you wander the maze with Alex and discover that we are all built to be a certain way and we are not just some mold that acts and reacts like everyone else. This is a lesson all teens and some adults need to learn what makes us different is what makes us you.

The epilogue sets us up really well to follow in the next book in the series and excited to see what happens to Alex now that she accepted really and truly who she is.

[leahrosereads]

Before I give my thoughts, let's talk diversity. Alex, the main character and her family and a lot of the people in this story are POCs with Latin American descent. There's also bi representation (or I read it as bi-rep. Please correct me if it's lesbian representation).

Also, not diversity or representation, but I feel it's important to note that the adults in this YA book are around and care. Sure shenanigans happen, but it's not due to an absentee family. Family bonds are very important to not only this book, but it's sequel. And, I feel that's important to note.

Onto my thoughts. Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It was a five starrer until I read Bruja Born and realized that I really, really loved that one, so I dropped this to 4 stars.

Alex is a bruja who'd rather go to school, go to college, and get away. She's seen some shit that makes her reject the magic in her life to some pretty extreme consequences. I thought she was a very realistic character full of faults and dreams and desires and obligations. It was refreshing to read something so very real in a story that was so fantastical.

The world within this book is exceptional. There's of course our New York (muggles, Grey London, ya know, the place for the mundane), and then there's this other world(s) where lost souls stay, birdlike creatures starve, and a terrible darkness sucks the life out of it in the hopes to escape into another world.

And Alex has to work to try and fix it and more. It's a heartbreaking tale at times and filled with fear and courage and everything that makes a person human.

I cannot wait for the rest of the series, and I definitely plan on looking into this author's backlist for more to read until the 3rd book arrives.

[Stephanie]

This was okay. I enjoyed all the bruja/brujo magic stuff that I was so unfamiliar with, but the story didn't have as much urgency as I would have liked.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

When I first heard about Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova, I was so eager to read it. Latin American witches? Sold! But, sadly, this book just wasn't for me.

I probably should have known, with Los Lagos being described as "as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland." I am not a fan of Alice in Wonderland because it's just too weird, too much weird, and Los Lagos has that similar feel. Alex has to travel through Los Lagos to get to the labyrinth where her family are being held by The Devourer, who, during the eclipse, will drink their power through the Tree of Souls. But on her way there with Nova, she comes across obstacle after obstacle. The creatures were fine - the avianas, which are kind of like bird-women, and the adas, who are practically fae - but it's just the one thing after another.

And considering the danger they're in most of the time, they get out of scrapes too easily, they've got past an obstacle before you know it. And there were just too many things I felt weren't explained well enough. Alex will create an orb of light, or she'll shoot magic out of her hands... but how? How is she doing that? There's no real explanation as to how she uses her magic, she just does. And for someone who has been forcing down her magic for so long and not using it, she knows exactly what to do with it when it's needed. There is no, "XYZ would be the perfect solution right now, but I don't know how to do that!" She just does it. She reaches for her magic, and it happens. And then they move on.

I also found things were a little too easy, too convenient in other ways to be believable. When Rishi, Alex's best friend who she is in love with, finds out that Alex is a bruja, there's complete acceptance. I can't really talk about this in more detail without spoilers, so don't click the button if you haven't read the book but plan to. So, sure, Rishi jumped in the portal and arrived around the avianas when Alex and Nova finally meet up with her, but seriously? Just acceptance? No-one would just jump into a huge gaping hole that is god knows how deep, simply because they can hear their best friend screaming in it. They wouldn't land around bird-women, and not freak out, not think they've had some major head trauma and are imagining things, or something. They wouldn't finally meet up with their best friend, and not be terrified and wonder what the hell is going on and how the hell can she leave? Nope. Rishi just accepts it all, continues being her happy, sunshiney-self, and wants to help Alex save her family, even though she's a normal human and can do pretty much nothing.

And the Devourer. What was going on with her? Why didn't we know more? Sure, she was once a bruja who was banished to Los Lagos by the Deos, but why? What did she do? Why was she so eager for power? Just because, it seems. She just wanted power. But we've had that storyline before. Can't our villains be a little more complex? Just wanting power to have all the power and to rule and take over everything just isn't really good enough any more.

Then there's Alex and her issues with her magic in the first place. Something happened when she was younger, but what that was, I couldn't really tell you. For whatever reason, her dad left. Or disappeared, or something. And she's been terrified of her magic ever since. It just brings her family pain, suffering and blood, but we never really see any evidence of that. There's just not really enough explanation about anything. Labyrinth Lost, to me, feels like it could do with a lot more developing. That it needs to be longer, there needs to be more detail, to be a more complex, but believable story. It just feels a little wishy-washy to me.

Saying that, I loved how diverse the cast was. I don't think there was a single white person in this book. Alex's family were all Latin American, and with her ancestors, who make an appearance, some were Mexican or African or Caribbean - this isn't explicitly stated in the text, but in the Author's Note, but by descriptions, it's clear that some of them are black rather than Latin American. And then there's Rishi, who is a Guyanese Hindu. I loved how romance wasn't the focus of the story, but it played it's part, with a very slight love triangle. Alex is in love with Rishi, that's pretty much clear from the beginning, but she's also attracted to Nova, even though she doesn't feel she can trust him. There's never any talk about sexuality though, so I'm not entirely sure how Alex would identify, but she's attracted to guys and girls (though in this interview, when Córdova talks about the romance, she does mention "bi love triangle").

Sadly, this one wasn't for me, which is a shame, because I was so looking forward to it! But do read other reviews before deciding whether or not to read it yourself.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the proof.

[Heather]

I heard about this book through the #DSFFBookClub (Diverse Sci Fi/Fantasy) on Twitter a few months ago. From the description somehow I got the impression that this took place in Mexico and perhaps was set in the past. That isn't true at all.

Alex is part of a family of witches in Brooklyn in the present day. Their numbers are dwindling. Alex has been hiding the fact that her powers have appeared because they are very strong and they scare her. She also thinks that magic has been responsible for a lot of the problems in her family. She doesn't want anything to do with it.

She accidentally reveals her powers at school while defending her friend Rishi from a bully. Now her family is planning her Death Day, a traditional celebration of a young bruja's power. Alex doesn't want anything to do with it. She decides to try to relinquish her powers during the ceremony but her attempt to use a canto goes wrong. Her family (living and dead) is banished to another realm and now Alex has to try to get them back.

I liked the depiction of a family for whom magic is a normal and expected part of everyday life. The next book in the series is going to focus on her sister Lula who is a healer.

This book uses a lot of YA Fantasy tropes but twists them in small ways so they weren't totally annoying.

There was a love triangle in this book which I absolutely hate but instead of a perfect girl trying to decide between two guys who love her here she is deciding between a girl and a guy. (I'm still waiting for my dream book where the two objects of affection decide they don't need the perfect one and go off together.)

Alex is, of course, the Chosen One who can fix everything. She's the most powerful witch in generations. Only she can defeat the bad guy. At the end though she had to accept help from others. She does also acknowledge that part of her wants to take all the power and be a despot too.

There is a point where a person who has hurt Alex tries to explain that it was all ok because this person loves Alex so much. She ultimately rejects that but it teetered on the brink. It was a little too close to "stalking is ok because this person loves you SO MUCH" for my liking.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am interested to read the rest of the series when it comes out.


This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[Sam@WLABB]

Alex comes from a long line of powerful witches, or brujas. Her younger sister has the sight; her older sister can heal people, however, it appears as though Alex has not yet come into her powers. Yes, it appears that her powers have not manifested, but in reality, she is very powerful, and blames magic for all her problems. Alex longs to rid herself of her magic, and her attempt at the canto results in her family being sent to another realm from which Alex must rescue them.

This book was such an adventure. There are so many things Cordova does right in this novel.

• The characters are very well developed. I felt like I was well acquainted with Nova and Alex. Cordova gave so much backstory on the two, I was totally able to understand their motives. She also crafted wonderful secondary characters: Lady, Lula, Rose, Alex's mom, and Aunt Ro were well drawn, and enriched the story.


• The cultural and magical aspects were so interesting. I am NOT well versed in brujas, therefore, I ate up everything Cordova had to offer regarding this subject. From the descriptions of the clothing and hair, to the food and dance, she really painted a vivid picture of Alex's world for me. And the magic! The magic was pretty fantastic, and the author integrated a through knowledge base of bruja magic so seamlessly into the story. I never felt like I was in the middle of an info dump, but I did feel well prepared to understand what was going on in the story.


• The relationships in this book were so special. I loved the family bond between the sisters, and the way each generation contributed to the shaping of the next. That was just such a beautiful thing. I also really liked the bruja community aspect. I felt the warmth and the love.

A lot of reviewers are taking about the romantic aspect. There is a love triangle, where Alex is attracted to both a boy and a girl. It's there. It is a minor part of the story, but I think it's great that it's there, in addition to the entire cast appearing to be people of color.

To me, this was a coming of age story for a bruja. She had to confront her past in order to embrace her purpose. It was also a story of family, and how she loved without boundaries.

Overall: A thrilling adventure with a rich cultural and magical side.

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[Kait ✨]

I didn’t love this book at first, until about halfway through when there was a bit of a twist on where I had thought things were going. I loved the worldbuilding and the Latina flavour to the bruja culture. I’m generally not a fan of portal fantasy or urban fantasy but I didn’t mind it here as Córdova’s take was just so fresh. Even her use of fey felt like a unique on a timeworn trope, which is hard to do.

Also of note is that Alex, the main character, is bisexual. I love how Córdova handled the romantic elements to this novel. Alex and Rishi’s relationship is sweet, Alex and Nova butt heads but in a way that reveals they do care for each other. Rishi and Nova just want to tear each other apart. I thought the nuances to this love triangle were really well done and obviously it was so great to read about an explicitly bisexual main character.

The writing wasn’t to my taste a lot of the time and it felt heavy-handed at times. The plot did feel simplistic to me at times and I had a hard time connecting with Alex. That being said, I would still recommend this book with the caveat that the writing feels very juvenile at times and I do still think it’s worth reading for Córdova’s worldbuilding and character development.

[justine_manzano]

There is nothing I love more in a book than characters that feel real and complex, and that's what we get with Labyrinth Lost, the latest YA release from Zoraida Cordova. Alex, the book's main character, struggles with her choices, and sometimes makes very bad ones. But her heart is good and her search for redemption after one particularly bad choice is what fuels this novel. She is surrounded by secondary characters that are both lovable and questionable, and I found myself drawn to all of them as well. I spent the whole book thinking "give me more!" but in that good way that works for the first book in a series.

For a reader who is definitely more interested in character, I found that, while they were great, they weren't even the best thing about this book! Where this book wins is in the inventive and extensive world the author has created. I loved that the magic system in this world had very real and often painful and frightening consequences. Things didn't come easily, and the challenges were both real world interference and magical ones. While the book starts off in Brooklyn, it moves on to Los Lagos, a magical land that has been conquered by a powerful evil being known as the Devourer. Los Lagos was vividly constructed with strong imagery and surprises.

Lastly, this book is heaven for those looking for diverse books. The cast is entirely POC and there is also an LGBT character, all of which are handled as well-rounded people with cultures and lives, who are not stereotypes, and are not entirely determined by their race/sexuality. Still, these things are a part of who they are and the strength of family and what determines who you are and who you want to be is an important theme in this tale.

All in all, I found this world interesting to follow, and I can't wait to discover the resolution of one mysterious thread that I know we'll be learning in a future book. Read this book

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

3.5/5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't at all sure what to expect - it seemed like it was trying really hard to do a lot of things. Cultural diversity, magic, a new underworld, bisexuality...it's a lot to blend into one story. Zoraida Cordova actually manages to do it quite well!

Alex is a bruja who doesn't want the exceptional power she's been granted. In the beginning she struck me as a whiny, ungrateful little brat. I can understand her resentment and not being entirely free to choose her own path, but her attempt at rejecting her power puts her entire family in danger - albeit unintentionally.



However, she immediately sets off to rescue them and is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost. So, props to her for that. She loves her family with an intensity beyond anything else, even if they don't always see eye to eye or get along. She's incredibly stubborn, to the point of insisting that complete strangers help her on her quest.



It got bogged down a little over 1/3 of the way through. When the setting shifted to Los Lagos (the underworld, essentially), it floundered somewhat. Especially with the arrival of certain characters - like, really? Rishi? Where did that come from? How did she get her fake wings? How did she know to bring them, if she brought them with her? I feel like Madre didn't give them to her. I'm still vaguely suspicious of the way her arrival was "explained." I honestly thought she was one of the bird-women for awhile. Guess the fake wings should have ruled that out but it was just so abrupt and essentially unexplained. Rishi's quick, unquestioning acceptance of Alex's magic and all it entails really bothered me too. No muggle (sorry) is going to just unblinkingly accept an entirely new world and the ability to conjure fire, no matter how much in love with the bruja you are. However, after several chapters where I struggled, it picked back up and carried on and was much clearer. I think maybe a little more description would have benefited the story.

"It's love, Alex. Love is you jumping through a portal despite your own safety. Love is mom singing in the car and Rose making tea when we're sick and even us fighting because we're blood, and no matter what you do, I'll never forget that you are my sister."

Family comes first - that's the mantra I kept seeing over and over again. I'm a little envious of Alex's relationship with her sisters, to be honest. I'm not very familiar with Hispanic culture and was really intrigued by how it's portrayed here. Of course I can't vouch for accuracy, but given the author's background I would think it would be pretty spot-on. Alex's family is not distinctly one country or another. She is a vibrant mix of many countries and people and Cordova really wove that into her and her magic. Oh! The magic. Magic in this world has a price that must always be paid, by someone, somewhere. It isn't free or easy. It marks you. Alex and her family do not have a rosy-glass view of magic - as perhaps illustrated by the Deathly celebration for marking when a bruja or burro comes into their powers.

Also I love that bisexuality is given a normal viewpoint. Which is a really rough way of saying...well, it wasn't anything special. And I don't mean that in a bad way! I just mean that it was treated as completely normal, nothing to be shocked or surprised by. Normal. Healthy. Accepted. Supported. Books with characters like this are sorely needed in literature, when so much of the world is so full of hate for anything different from them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing what happens in the next one! The ending was a definite cliffhanger, though not with as much shock value as I feel like was intended. Still, I was definitely a little put out that there wasn't a next chapter! Haha.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.